Echos
by shadowpheonix64
Summary: The tournament has restarted but the Shaman Council have yet to appear in Patch Village. No one has any idea whats happening, except that a new girl to Patch Village is being chased down by someone who strikes fear into her heart.rn( Ren x OC later on. Ra
1. What to do?

Shaman King: Echo's

Okay, this is set after the series once Hao has been defeated and the Shaman Tournament has resumed. Some Ren x OC later on

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or any of its characters, I do own Krystal and Shadow though. I wish I did own Ren and Horohoro . 

Chapter 1: What to do?

Since Patch Village had returned to the human plane of existence there had been a great deal of talk about the tournament and what was going to happen next with the council. Although most of the shaman fighters had returned to the village, a council member had yet to inform anyone of what was actually going to happen. In fact most of the council member had most decidedly vanished. Many shaman were enjoying being back in Patch Village and being surrounded by other shaman, including Yoh and the gang who were all sitting in the main square by the fountain.

'So Yoh what do you think has happened to the council.' Ren said calmly. Yoh stretched his arms above his head slowly. This was a nice break from training.

'I really don't know.' He replied after a while. 'Even Silva seems to have disappeared, and he was our link to the council. We won't know anything until someone from the council returns.' Behind him Anna could be heard barking orders at Manta, who she had decided to train in Yoh's place since he was still relatively new at being a shaman.

'I want 200 push-ups shorty and then go get me some ice-cream.' Yoh grinned lazily, he was glad that Anna was preoccupied, that meant that she would leave him alone for a while.

'What are we going to do until then dudes?' Horohoro asked everyone as he watched Kororo play with the water in the fountain, freezing some of the water and giggling along with Morphin as it splashed into the main bowl of the fountain.

'All we can do is wait for now.' Lyserg muttered. He didn't like to spend long periods of time waiting. He smiled as Morphin handed him a beautiful ice sculpture of his crystal pendulum and flew back to Kororo.

'Waiting is boring my young friends.' Ryu said quickly. 'Why don't we find some lovies who wish to become our shaman queens?'

'Hey where did the little man go?' Tokagerho questioned, staring at the TV screen. 'Hey Ryu! The little man has disappeared!'

'Do not worry Tokagerho. He was never really there in the first place.' Ryo answered.

'I already have my shaman queen.' Faust smiled. He was still fawning over Eliza, who seemed to be gaining some colour in her cheeks.

'And I've got Anna.' Yoh said coolly. 'She may be harsh but I know that she wouldn't do anything to hurt me.'

'Except drive you to exhaustion.' Horohoro muttered to Chocolove who promptly opened his mouth to speak but Ren shoved the end of his new Kwan-dao towards his face which shut him up.

'Why don't we go see how some of the others are?' Amidamaru suggested, trying to avoid the blob circling around him which was Tokagerho who was now bored with the TV since the "little man" had gone. Tokagerho had become an avid watcher of Dr. Who for some unknown reason but still had yet to grasp the idea that he wasn't always in the TV.

'Sounds like a great idea Amidamaru.' Yoh grinned. He stood up and Chocolove stood next to him, trying to run away from Ren. 'Shall we find the Lilly Five?'

'You know it's funny that …' Chocolove started.

'It's better that you don't even go there.' Ren grumbled. 'Or you may find yourself in several pieces.' Bason appeared over Ren's left shoulder and watched Ren begin an argument with Chocolove about his jokes again. By this point, Manta was halfway through his required number of push ups when Anna came back over to the rest of the group.

'I hope your not going to sit around all day Yoh, or I may have to restart your training.' Anna hissed lovingly. Manta was good at the theory behind shaman skills but his furyoku was somewhat pathetic. Sure he could transfer Mosuke between his laptop and hammer but not for very long. Behind her Manta struggled to his feet having not completed his push-ups. 'You'd better not be stopping Manta. Or you'll do another 200.' Manta collapsed and continued his set task.

'Well then shall we go?' Yoh asked. Everyone seemed to be taking their time about finding the Lilly Five. Not that he minded. 'Wait where's Tamao? I thought she was with us.'

'She's been trying to locate the council all day Yoh.' Anna answered, not bothered that Tamao had been left with Jun. Yoh span around to look back at the building where they were staying and sighed. He felt bad about leaving Tamao behind. But if Anna had told her to stay behind then no one would argue with her.

'Hey wait isn't that Tamao?' Yoh asked startled. She was in fact running full speed towards them waving her hands.

'Hey Anna!' Tamao cried. 'I think I found something!' She stopped in front of Anna and gasped for breath. 'Not that I'm really all that sure…' Anna glared at her. 'But I think I found someone.' Everyone stood around Tamao and waited for her to tell them where this person was. Tamao stood up straight and took a deep breath. 'There's someone right here. They're extremely close!' Immediately everyone started to scan the surroundings for anyone from the council or out of the ordinary.

'Hey who is that?' Ryu asked quietly. Everyone followed Ryu's gaze across the square to a girl who was sitting on top of one of the shops. 'I've never seen anyone like her before.'

'Well she's not a council member so she doesn't matter to us.' Anna spat.

'But what's she doing up there?' Horohoro pondered.

'Let's find out.' Yoh said. He waved up at her. 'Hey you up there!' She spotted him and swung down from the roof.

'Oh God Yoh we don't need yet another useless person to follow us about.' Ren groaned.

'Oh I bet she's a great person.' Yoh grinned. As the girl got closer, they saw that she wore dark blue jeans with a pastel blue lose button up shirt with a silver dragon stitched on the shoulder, which crept down the back. She had midnight blue hair and eyes of a similar colour.

'Hi. You…um…waved at me.' She said breathing heavily.

'Hi. I'm Yoh. This is Anna, Manta, Ryu, Ren, Horohoro, Lyserg, Faust, Tamao and Chocolove.' Yoh said introducing everyone in the group to her.

'I'm Krystal. Have you been here in Patch Village long?' She smiled. 'I only arrived here today and am getting a little lost.'

'You've never been here before?' Ren asked coldly. Krystal nodded.

'Well why don't you stick around with us. We'll show you around until one of the council members show up.' Chocolove said kindly, trying to make up for Ren's attitude.

'That would be great.' Krystal smiled. 'Thank you.'

'So are you a shaman?' Anna asked.

'Yeah, my father tried to teach me quite a lot before I came here but it's really hard to remember everything.' Krystal grinned half heartedly. 'Oh, Shadow. Come and meet these nice people.' Over her shoulder appeared a small grey spirit with a human face. 'This is Shadow, my guardian ghost. My father gave him to me to protect me.'

'Hello everyone.' Shadow said hurriedly. 'He is coming we should get away from here quickly Krystal.' Krystal looked at him with a worried look on her face.

'Someone's chasing you?' Horohoro asked. 'Who?'

'It doesn't matter. I just have to get out of here.' Krystal muttered.

'We'll help you.' Yoh said. Ren and Anna sighed simultaneously. Yoh had a habit of doing this.

Wow, first chappy done

Please review!


	2. Running and fighting

I'm sorry for cutting that chapter short but I was typing it late at night and wanted to post it before going to bed.

Shadowdragonlady – You'll see who's coming right in this lovely chappy here!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or and any of its characters whether they be bishies, kawaii, funny or otherwise. Krystal and Shadow are my own creations.

Chapter 2: Running and fighting

The group had decided to split into 2 main groups to help Krystal to run away from her chaser. One group was going to go with her to make sure that she had help if she was ambushed and the other would stay to confront her chaser. Tamao however, decided to return to Jun who had been left alone with Ponchi, Konchi and Li Pyron.

'So who's going to stay and fight?' Yoh asked quickly as Tamao trotted back to Jun. 'I want to find out just who's after her.' Krystal was watching the street, anxious to get moving.

'I will go with her to protect her.' Ryu announced proudly. 'I can not stay with you master Yoh.'

'I never back down from a challenge.' Ren said swiftly. 'And since I'm one of the strongest here, I'll stay and fight.'

'Dude lets kick their butts!' Horohoro cried enthusiastically. He had been dying to take part in a shaman fight since they had arrived in Patch Village.

'So that's three of us.' Yoh stated looking at the rest of the group. 'No one else?'

'I'll stay too Yoh.' Faust answered. 'Then the groups are quite level.' Krystal stepped away from the group.

'I need to go now.' She whimpered. 'They're almost here.' She spun around and started to run followed closely by Lyserg, Manta, Ryu and Chocolove. Anna held back.

'I expect you to win Yoh.' She muttered. 'And be careful.'

'Don't worry Anna.' He replied without turning to face her. 'You should hurry up or you're going to lose them.' Anna quickly chased after the others, running around the corner just as they had.

'I wonder just who this person is.' Ren stated calmly. 'I mean, all of Hao's followers are either gone or under the council's supervision.' Bason formed beside him in his full form, ready to be transferred into the Kwan-dao.

'Yeah but, no ones seen anything of any of the council members…' Yoh added.

'Who ever they are I hope they're strong. I've been waiting for a good fight.' Horohoro grinned hopefully. Kororo floated over from the fountain and sat on Horohoro's shoulder. Faust said nothing but Eliza stood up and leaned on him. And they waited for who ever Krystal was running from.

They had been following Krystal run through Patch Village. For some one who claimed not to know their way around the village she sure could navigate its backstreets.

'Hey wait up!' Manta yelped. 'I can't run very fast.' It was true. He was lagging behind the others and Anna had already caught up with him. Krystal finally stopped running and looked behind her at the odd assortment of people who had come with her. Ryu and Lyserg were running alongside each other, Ryu trying to make idle conversation and failing. Chocolove was half running, half skipping in a weird joyful but yet hurried manner. And now Manta was trying desperately to out run Anna, who was looming after him. Krystal had stopped just outside what looked like a tavern and leaned lazily against the wall. She gasped for breath, not just from tiredness from the running but also from fear. She had almost been caught. Lyserg, Ryu and Chocolove reached her first. Ryu knelt beside her, Lyserg stood behind him and Chocolove watched from a distance.

'Now then.' Ryu said calmly. 'Will you now tell us who is after you?' Manta and Anna joined them, Manta dropped to his knees and panted.

'I'd like to know that too.' Anna hissed. Mosuke, Morphin, Mick, Tokagerho and Shadow all shimmered into view next to their corresponding shaman.

'We must tell them so that they may trust us.' Shadow mumbled to his exhausted shaman.

'I know.' Krystal said in between several deep breaths. 'I am being chased by a member of the Shaman Council.'

'The Shaman Council wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone.' Lyserg stated. Chocolove nodded in agreement.

'I agree my young friend.' Ryo said.

'So why is the Shaman Council chasing you?' Tokagerho questioned. Krystal sank to the ground and tear began to form in her eyes.

'I…I… I don't know.' She stammered.

'That's not good enough.' Anna growled.

'Hey give her a break Anna. She's spooked.' Chocolove said kindly. Mick walked over to Krystal and nuzzled against her arm trying to comfort her.

'She's obviously done something to annoy the council and so we shouldn't acquaint with her.' Anna said coldly.

'They're trying to kill me!' Krystal cried. 'I don't know why but they want me dead! Are you happy now Anna! Your beloved Shaman Council is trying to kill me!' Anna froze while Manta and Mosuke stepped between her and Krystal.

'Just leave her alone Anna.' Mosuke said sternly. 'She seems to be in shock.' With Mosuke and Manta stopping Anna, if only temporarily, and Morphin looked into Krystal's eyes. She sighed. Krystal was telling what she believed to be the truth. There was no doubt about it. Morphin flew back to Lyserg and told him what she had seen.

'Don't let them kill me…' Krystal sobbed. She latched onto Mick's fur and hugged him. 'Don't let them send me back to the King of Spirits. I want to stay here.'

'Did you say the King of Spirits?' Anna asked somewhat confused as she brushed past Manta and Mosuke. Krystal nodded slowly. 'That means that you were once dead. Or are you a drifting spirit?'

'Morphin says that there's only Krystal in there. And she honestly believes what she saying.' Lyserg interrupted.

'She can't be a drifting spirit can she?' Manta asked curious about Krystal. 'Anna you said that drifting spirits can't attach themselves to bodies which are dead and that if the attach to a living person then when the person dies the spirit is expelled. It takes an Itako or Dao Shi to put a spirit into or control a dead body. So she can't be a drifting spirit.' Anna thought for a moment while Ryu and Chocolove tried to comfort Krystal. Manta and Lyserg watched with their spirits.

'He sent me here…' Krystal sniffed. 'To make sure that what happened never happens again…'

Yoh, Ren, Horohoro and Faust stood waiting by the fountain until a figure cast in shadows appeared from around the corner. Yoh moved Amidamaru into both the sword and the antiquity as Ren moved Bason into the Kwan-dao and Horohoro placed Kororo into his new snowboard. They readied themselves for a fight as the figure moved closer. Suddenly, they all moved at once, silently jumping the unsuspecting figure. A cloud of dust rose up around both them and the person they were attacking.

'Hey wasn't that…' Faust muttered to himself, he was the only person who didn't actually move. The dust settle and Eliza had her scythe over the cloaked person's head, Ren's Kwan-dao was pointed at their side, Horohoro's snowboard was almost in direct contact with their back and Yoh's small double medium tip was practically on their nose. Everyone froze immediately when they realised just who they had jumped. '…Silva…'

Hurra! second chappy done


	3. Can't make me

Mweheheheh

I like writing this. It's a nice break from my exams and school stuff.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately as much as I wish I did I don't own any of the Shaman King characters. Only Krystal and Shadow, they are merely figments of my imagination.

Chapter 3: Can't make me

Everyone had frozen in their somewhat awkward positions over Silva and Silva himself was somewhat embarrassed.

'Excuse me but what's going on here?' Silva questioned. People removed their weapons from him and stood back in a group in front of Silva. Yoh held out his hand to help Silva up.

'So, wait a minute. Krystal's running away from the Shaman Council?' Ren asked.

'You've met Krystal?' Silva exclaimed. He hung his head in shame. He seemed to have thought that he'd done something wrong.

'Hey dude what's wrong?' Horohoro asked. Everyone was asking questions and no one was getting any answers.

'Yeah we met Krystal. She went off with the others just a while ago.' Yoh stated clearly. Faust and Horohoro all looked at him slightly shocked. A minute ago he was trying to protect her and now he seemed more than happy to lead Silva to her.

'Yes but she was running away from Silva wasn't she.' Ren said following Yoh's lead. A cloud of gloom seemed to have settled over Silva's head.

'No one thought this would happen.' He groaned.

'Thought what would happen?' Faust asked. Silva stood up slowly and ran his fingers through his hair.

'She is a special child. The council never thought that she would run away from us.' Silva grumbled. 'She believes that we are going to kill her and that we are trying to send her to the King of Spirits. The whole council is trying to find her, but she just keeps running.'

'So you're not going to hurt her?' Faust asked, yet again Eliza was hanging off him in a love struck fashion.

'Of course not! The council is trying to help her.' Silva exclaimed.

'So…What do we do now?' Horohoro questioned.

'We need to find her.' Silva muttered.

Everyone was shocked by what Krystal had said.

'What do you mean "make sure that what happened never happens again"?' Anna asked. She knelt down in front of Krystal who was still latched onto Mick but now also had Morphin stroking her hair.

'H…Hao…' Krystal whispered. Manta looked at Ryu and they both looked at Anna.

'Hao? You mean about the attack on the King of spirits?' Anna questioned. Lyserg froze up, remembering the attack on his parents. 'But that's over now. Hao is gone.' Krystal released her hold on Mick but left Morphin on her shoulder and stood up. Ryu and Chocolove stood too.

'But is has happened.' Krystal said, trying to calm herself. 'And it can not happen again.'

'And you're the one who's supposed to stop it? I find that hard to believe.' Anna said coldly.

'Now now Miss Anna we have seen strange people do extraordinary things.' Ryu intervened. He was a sucker for any girl whether she was interested or not.

'Within reason, I was created for this purpose.' Krystal said clearly.

'So that means that you come from within the King of spirits.' Anna muttered.

'I guess you could say that.' Krystal murmured. 'We'd better not stop for too long or…'

'See I told you we could find her.' Yoh said he turned the corner. Krystal stared at him for a moment and the realisation took a while to sink in.

'Krystal!' Silva cried and Krystal tried to run.

'Not so fast!' Lyserg yelled as he pulled up his sleeve. 'Morphin!' Immediately Morphin entered the crystal pendulum and raced after Krystal. Morphin twisted around Krystal's legs so that she was tripped up by the thin wire. She fell to the floor and everyone ran to her.

'You stay away from me!' Krystal screamed as Silva came closer. 'Just stay away!'

'There's no need to yell.' Ren said. 'It seems that you're a pretty valuable person.'

'The council has no desire to harm you.' Silva explained and Krystal jerked into an upright position. 'Now. Will you still run?' She shook her head slightly. Not that she could run. She was bound by her fear. Lyserg released her from Morphin's wire grasp.

'So what's going on?' Chocolove asked.

'I have been searching for Krystal for most of today.' Silva replied. 'The Shaman Council has been looking for her ever since we heard that she was coming.'

'I did wonder how you managed to find me so quickly.' Krystal muttered.

'But now you must come to see the council with me.' Silva continued, seemingly ignoring her comment. 'There are many things to discuss.'

'You won't try and send me back?' She asked.

'You won't kill her will you?' Manta asked.

'Who said anything about killing her?' Ren questioned. Horohoro could be seen behind him with Faust, both scratching their heads, no one had told them about any killing.

'I assure you that you will not be harmed.' Silva told Krystal. 'We only need to ask you some questions about the continuing tournament.'

'So how did you manage to confuse "we want to talk to you" with "we want to kill you"?' Anna growled.

'It might have been how she was greeted when she emerged in the star sanctuary.' Silva intervened. 'We had discovered Krystal in the star sanctuary before we had received the messaged from the King of spirits that she was arriving and was therefore treated as a criminal.'

'That's it? Where did the killing part come from?' Ren asked half heartedly.

'We believe that the way out of the star sanctuary Krystal was mistakenly attacked.' Silva continued. 'On behalf of the council I would like to apologise for any upset that may have been caused.'

'You can't make me go.' Krystal hissed viciously. She wasn't just going to forget how afraid they had made her. 'And I won't go.' Silva sighed.

'You are right, I can not make you.' He grumbled. 'I hope that you will change your mind.' He started walking away when he turned to the others. 'Please try to convince her to come to the shaman council.' He shot a glance at Krystal who ignored him and continued to leave. Once he had left, Krystal shuddered and wandered back into the group. She felt safe with them around her, with their company. Everyone just stared at her and they couldn't believe her point blank refusal to go with Silva.

'Why are we still standing around?' Anna asked. She was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

'Erm…Well why don't we head back to the apartment?' Yoh suggested.

'That's gotta be better than staying here.' Horohoro smiled. Krystal grinned and stepped away from the group.

'Do what you want but I'm gonna head to the edge of town. I still haven't quite got the hang of being a shaman.' She said clearly and calmly as if Silva had never even been there.

'We can't let you go alone. Some shaman may attack you. They can be pretty ruthless.' Faust said.

'I don't need looking after.' Krystal smiled.

'Well we'll train with you then. I'm only a learner shaman myself.' Manta grinned.

'You don't all need to come with me. What about that pink haired girl?' Krystal asked.

'You mean Tamao? She'll be fine. She's with Jun.' Anna stated swiftly.

'Yes Miss Anna but maybe someone should check on them.' Ryu said.

'Thanks for volunteering Ryu.' Anna said coldly. 'Anyone else like to volunteer?' Several members of the group took a step back. Faust was left standing by himself and then he realised that by standing alone he had been volunteered by the others. 'Faust you go with Ryu.' The two men wandered off to the apartment blocks, Faust threw a dirty glare at Ryu when he started to flirt with Eliza.

'So let's go!' Krystal cried happily jumping up and down on the spot. Anna shot a glance at her and sighed. Horohoro and Chocolove decided that jumping up and down looked liked fun and joined Krystal's antics. Yoh didn't have the energy to jump up and down and Manta and Lyserg just watched the three idiots bounce around. Ren simply watched, although he was fascinated by how Krystal's mood had suddenly changed.

'Let's go.' Anna said 'Before the three musketeers here burn up.' Krystal chose this moment to tackle hug Ren. A look of pure horror and embarrassment flooded over his face and Yoh started to laugh.

'Wh…what are you doing!' Ren exclaimed. Krystal had wrapped her arms around Ren's neck and she too had flushed red.

'Oh… um… I…' Krystal stammered as she released Ren. 'Come on let's go!' She bounded away from Ren and was followed closely by Chocolove and Horohoro.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the edge of Patch Village and Anna sat herself down on a stone wall. Krystal took Manta's had and dragged him a little way from the others who then followed Anna's lead and sat down.

'So how strong do you think she is?' Yoh asked Anna. She, being an itako, would have the best idea of them all about how strong Krystal would be.

'Well, she said that she'd only been around for one day.' Lyserg said. 'So she can't be all that strong.' Chocolove grinned.

'But she is pretty cute. Cute enough to…'

'Don't start.' Horohoro groaned.

'But we need to remember that she was created by the King of spirits.' Ren said calmly. Anna nodded. Krystal could be seen waving at them, signalling for some kind of weapon and Manta was sitting on the floor talking to Mosuke, who was still in the laptop, while he retrieved a hammer from his rucksack.

'If she was created by the King of spirits to represent him then she should be a skilled shaman.' Anna replied. She looked up at Krystal who was still waving frantically. 'So who's going to give her a weapon?'

'I will. I want to see what she can do.' Yoh grinned as he stood up. Krystal ran over to him with Manta's bag. 'Here, you can use this.' Yoh handed her his sword and she smiled at him.

'Thank you Yoh.' Krystal said sweetly. Before she turned to run back to Manta and their waiting practise fight she flicked a glance and Ren, who seemed to be ignoring her. Her smiled faded and she ran back to Manta.

'Are you ready? I've never really fought anyone properly before so…I don't know if I'll be any good at this.' Manta said quickly.

'I've never fought anyone before either.' Krystal said. 'Well then let's get this started.'

'Here they go.' Lyserg said.

'Mosuke!' Manta cried. 'Hyoui Gattai! Into the hammer!' The hammer grew in size until it was as big as Manta.

'Shadow!' Krystal cried. 'Hyoui Gattai! Into the sword!' The blade twisted into a new shape, much like a wolf's fang, and Krystal's eyes narrowed.

'Wait, isn't her guardian ghost human?' Chocolove asked. This wasn't right. Krystal was being affected too much by Shadow. Krystal lunged at Manta whos small size allowed him to dodge the attack. Krystal hissed at him, defiantly not normal when using a human spirit.

'So what does this mean Anna?' Yoh asked. Manta rolled underneath Krystal to avoid another swing and he aimed his hammer at her back.

'Let's wait and see…'

Woot! I wanted to get to a fight scene, and it's just around the corner Yay!


	4. Pain

Thanks for the review!

Time for the first fight scene! Woot!

Disclaimer: Shaman King characters, places, things and other stuff belongs to their creators and unfortunately not me.

Chapter 4: Pain

Manta was panting hard, he had spent what little time they had spent fighting running, and he only had little legs. Krystal couldn't feel the weight of the sword at all, it was like it was an extension of her body, and she was absorbed in the fight more than she realised.

She thrusted towards Manta who tried to block with his oversized hammer but the blade caught his side, slicing through his top. She jumped back and Manta caught his breath.

'She looks like she's in pain…' Horohoro commented. They could all she how much Krystal seemed to be struggling, but she seemed to be working beyond the pain barrier.

'I think she'll crash and burn at this rate.' Anna muttered quietly, the others looked at her, waiting for more. 'She's using too much energy in her attacks. Look.' As Anna spoke, Krystal's attacks slowed and Manta swung his hammer at her. It made contact with her chest and she was flung backwards, she rolled backwards over her shoulders uncomfortably before righting herself. She hissed again and Manta pulled himself together, getting himself ready for another attack.

'So she's losing control?' Ren asked as he fingered his Kwan-dao, only half interested.

'Looks like it.' Yoh answered. Krystal was gasping for breath, still brandishing the sword, there was limited power emanating from her now.

'Poor Manta…She's been hitting him hard.' Horohoro said. Manta had been slashed at several times and was bleeding a little in several places. He wasn't used to this type of treatment of actual bodily harm. Krystal lunged again with a vertical swing and made contact with Manta's hammer. They both struggled to push the other back and were stuck in a deadlock.

'Manta…' Krystal gasped, 'You…f…fight well.' All energy left her once she had spoken and she dropped to the ground like a rock. Manta followed suit, but only dropped to his knees.

'Ar…are you okay?' Manta asked between coughs. Krystal groaned a little in response before rolling onto her front. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't muster the energy. 'Hey guys! I think she needs some help!' The others sprang from their seats and ran to Manta and Krystal. Yoh and Chocolove helped Manta to his feet while Ren and Horohoro lifted Krystal up off the floor and between themselves they carried her to the wall.

'Well that was stupid.' Anna stated. Krystal didn't spare any energy to look at her. She concentrated on keeping herself upright with the help of her carriers. 'If that was anyone else you would be dead by now.' Manta had recovered enough strength to walk along side Krystal and her carriers and was worried. She looked beyond exhausted. Shadow appeared in full form next to Manta. He was obviously tired, and he looked scruffier than usual. His rolled up trousers were unravelling as he walked with Manta.

'You are a strong little human.' Shadow smiled at Manta. 'And you have great courage too.' Manta looked up at the spirit beside him nervously. Shadow looked at Krystal as she was sat down by Horohoro and Ren. 'I must help her…'

'Help her? How?' Manta asked. 'I'm sorry to remind you but you're dead.' Krystal kept hold of both Horohoro and Ren.

'I'm going to need you both for a little longer.' She gasped. Her breaths were shortening and becoming more painful. 'Please.'

'It is because I am dead that I can help her.' Shadow grinned. He knelt in front of Krystal. 'These are your aids?' She nodded quickly, the sooner he started, the sooner the pain would be gone. 'Very well then.' The others crowded around him and he closed his eyes. This would be easier with fewer people around him, but it couldn't be helped. He reached out his hand and even Anna was shocked when it went into her chest. Krystal coughed violently and dug her nails into Ren and Horohoro's arms, the latter person looked as if ready to faint. Blood spurted from her mouth.

'What is he doing?' Chocolove asked quietly.

'It looks like he's reorganising her insides.' Yoh joked.

'Actually he's healing her from the inside.' Lyserg sighed. 'Exactly how I don't know. You'd have to ask Faust.' Krystal's eyes widened and she tensed up.

'Nearly done.' Shadow muttered, his eyes fluttered with concentration, this took a lot of effort. Krystal cried out in pain and even Ren looked at her concerned. None of them could explain exactly what was happening. Her eyes rolled back and she passed out, falling backwards until she was caught by Ren. Horohoro was to busy staring at Shadow's hand. It had remained still as Krystal had fallen and looked like it was covered in a dark blue substance.

'She will sleep through till morning.' Shadow said calmly. He stood up and looked down at her. Her head was lolled against Ren's shoulder and everyone was staring at him. 'She will be fine.'

'What exactly did you do?' Anna asked.

'She had internal injuries that needed to be healed.' Shadow replied before changing to his smaller form. 'She must rest. One of you must have a bed that she could have.'

'Not really…' Yoh mumbled. '…There's only two beds for each three person team.' Shadow looked at Anna.

'No luck here.' She answered. 'We had enough trouble getting rooms because we aren't fighters in the tournament.' Shadow looked back at Krystal, who's breathing had returned to normal. She looked completely natural and perfectly calm resting against Ren. Ren however, did not look all too happy but it seemed that there was nothing he could do about it.

'Maybe you should take her to the council.' Chocolove stated. 'They could help you out.'

'But… she wouldn't approve.' Shadow muttered.

'I believe you should.' Amidamaru said clearly. 'It would be best for her and it would give her a better chance of recovery.' Shadow sighed before nodding.

'I will need some help.' He smiled hopefully.

'Well it looks like she's attached to Ren right now. So he can carry her.' Anna growled.

'What! No!' Ren cried but was silenced suddenly by a glare from Anna. 'Fine then.'

'Yoh you go with him and make sure that the council understands that they owe us for this.' Anna ordered. Yoh stood up with Ren and Krystal who was still leaning heavily on Ren. 'Are you going or not?' Immediately, the small party and their respective spirits began to wander off.

'That Anna is quite frightful.' Shadow remarked.

'Master Ren is not afraid of her.' Bason said proudly.

'Really?' Shadow asked. 'Ren, you must be incredible brave.' He smiled at the boy and looked at Krystal again, his worry still growing. He could not heal her completely and now he too was vulnerable. She had to do the next part alone.

Yay! 4th chappie done

Sorry it took so long to write, ive had lots of exams recently

Hopefully the next one will be up faster


	5. Awakening

Thanks for the reviews guys! Please keep them coming, they encourage me to type more.

Chapter 5: Awakening

She could feel herself drifting into a state of awareness but she still couldn't wake up. The air was warm and scented, of lavender. She decided that she had to be in a bed since she could feel smooth, silky sheets over her and beneath her was soft and feathery. There was a gentle ringing in the air, wind chimes perhaps, and there was the sound of a crowd or market place. She couldn't tell she wasn't close enough to full consciousness to distinguish which. She heard a new noise, footsteps and a door opening and closing, fear grew inside of her. As she was now, there was nothing that she could do if she was attacked. And where were the others? Where was Shadow? Why couldn't she feel his presence? She thought of all of the new friends she had made, of Yoh, Manta, Horohoro, Ryu, Lyserg, Faust, Chocolove, Anna (of some sorts) and Ren. Ren's name stuck out in her mind and she immediately tried to push it back. There was no time to think, she had to wake up, she had to find out where she was.

'So how is she?' Silva asked as he looked down at Krystal lying on the bed. The doctor next to him smiled.

'She's tough. I'll give her that.' She replied. 'It looked like someone has had a crack at healing her themselves and I have to say they've done a pretty good job. All I had to do was treat her external injuries and give her something for the pain.' The doctor picked up a file from beside the bed and flicked through it. 'From the looks of things, she should be waking up soon.' Silva sighed. There was no time for this. Krystal had to be presented to the Shaman Council so that they could decide what was to be done about the tournament. He looked down at her lying there silently. Yoh's message that they were owed would not be forgotten. If Krystal had been killed then who knows what the King of Spirits would have done to them.

'Urgh.' A voice came. Silva took a double take as he looked at Krystal again. She had pulled herself into an upright sitting position and was holding her head in her hands. 'What the…where…how?' The doctor moved Krystal's hands away from her head and shined a light into he eyes. 'Hey!'

'She's fine. I'll do a full check in a minute.' The doctor said as she stood up. 'Now, I think the two of you need to talk.' Krystal's vision took a few moments to return and when in had she looked around the room until she was looking at Silva.

'What…why am I here?' She cried furiously. Silva raised his open palms to her to show her that he meant her no harm. 'How did I get here?'

'Your friends Yoh and Ren carried you here.' Silva started. He didn't notice the slight sign of joy in her eyes when he mentioned Ren's name. 'It seems that you were injured while practising against Manta.' Krystal cracked a smiled.

'I hurt him too didn't i.' She whispered. 'I can't control Shadow…' Silva paused for a moment to listen to her. 'I know that he's no ordinary guardian ghost but I don't think that it's a good idea for him to stay with me. I'll just keep hurting people…' She trailed off into a quiet sob. Silva sat down next to her and offered his arm. Krystal willingly moved to him, she wanted some kind of support.

'Why am I like this?' She asked.

'I do not know.' Silva replied honestly.

'Why am I here?'

'To guide us.'

'How? I'm not even a good shaman.

'We can teach you.'

'But…'

'If you doubt yourself then there is little that can be done. Surely you can focus on something to help you deal with this?' Krystal thought back to before her fight with Manta. Ren hadn't even looked in her direction when he heard that she had never fought any one. She made up her mind quickly.

'There is.' She answered. She would become stronger so than Ren wouldn't just ignore her. If she became strong enough to hold her ground against him, then he would have to acknowledge her.

'Can you walk?' Silva asked. He was concerned for her health as she was still 'recovering'. She nodded and climbed out of bed. She discovered that she was wearing what seemed to be a white silken dress that stopped just above her knees.

'When did…' Krystal beagan.

'The doctor. Your clothes were bloody.'

'Oh.'

'And they have been cleaned.'

'Thanks.'

Silva had taken Krystal to the Council as soon as she had eaten. Hunger would not wait and he had been amazed at just how much she could eat: 4 cheese sandwiches, 3 bowls of leek and onion soup, 3 chocolate fairy cakes and half the fruit bowl as well as 2 jugs of water. Once with the council, Krystal spoke out immediately.

'I do not want to be here.' She said loudly. The room full of council members murmured before Goldva stood up.

'We understand. But right now we, and the rest of the Shaman and Spirit worlds, need you.' Goldva said clearly.

'But why? I am only a child aren't I? What can I do that you can't?' She protested.

'You and your arrival have allowed the institution of new rules.' Silva interrupted.

'Silva.' Goldva warned. 'Never before has the King of Spirits sent anyone or thing to us. These circumstances have never been met before and so, rules can be altered.' Krystal shuffled in her seat. 'But, you play the most important role in all of this since the new rules will mainly be affected by what you say to us now. Please answer our questions truthfully.' Krystal fiddled with the hem of her dress.

'Please Krystal.' Silva pleaded.

'What else do I have to do? Except for answer these questions.' Krystal asked.

'You will have to attend all tournament matches and you will be the new face of the council.' Goldva answered.

'Fun.' Krystal groaned. 'Fine then. I'll answer your questions.'

Ren was stitting alone, and not for the first time. His team mates, Horohoro and Chocolove had gone off to an onsen somewhere and he had chosen not to participate as he just knew that they would end up plaing childish games. Yoh's team, including Anna, Manta and Tamao, had gone to train. It was peaceful in the small café where he sat. Many people had heard that something was happening with the council and training seemed to have resumed for most people. He looked out of the window, bored, onto the street. He heard the door open but ignored it until he heard

'Ren?' He looked over to the door and saw Krystal wearing a loose white cotton shirt with tan trousers. She walked over to his table and stopped before sitting down. 'Can I sit with you?' He nodded half heartedly and returned to staring out the window. 'Why aren't the others with you?'

'Those fools wanted to go and have some 'fun'.' He hissed kindly and Krystal sighed. And for one of the few times, he wondered why. She had been missing for a few days and she was acting like nothing had happened.

'Why is it that everyone is busy all of a sudden?' She asked him. He looked at her confused. Did she not know that there were rumours about the re-starting of the tournament? Just where had she been?

'They've all gone training.' He stated.

'But not you?' She asked quickly as she smiled at him.

'Not me.' He replied. 'I survived Hao's attack before and so there's nothing that can defeat me.'

'Oh really.' She said.

'Yes.'

'Then will you come for a walk with me?' He looked at her stunned. 'I'm bored. And I think that it will be some fun that you could endure.' He was still in shock. 'Please.' She looked upset. 'I've been stuck inside all day and I would really like some company. Please Ren.' For some reason, which he could not understand. Ren decided that if he did not go that he would regret it but if he did go then he would have to endure several snide comments.

'Fine then.' He sighed and she grabbed him playfully by the wrist and led him out of the café. 'Hey wait what…' Then he saw just where they were. They were already back where they had first met, at the fountain in the square.

'Come on come on.' She tugged, pulling his towards some stairs. 'We're not there yet.' He would have followed her even if she didn't have hold of his wrist, but for some reason, he didn't want her to let go. She led him up a forgettable number of flights of stairs before they reached an outcropping roof over the village. He took in a small breath in amazement.

'Well?' She asked. She found herself wanting his answer, but also afraid of it. She relinquished his arm and walked closer to the edge.

'It's amazing.' He muttered as he moved next to her. 'How did you…'

'I found it yesterday.' She answered quickly. 'I was running away from the Council again. Their lessons are so boring.' She stretched out her tense shoulders before sighing.

'Lessons?' He asked. She nodded, giving no explanation. He watched her for a moment as she looked out over the village.

'I can't believe how many shaman there are in the world.' She said calmly. 'There are so many people who need help…' She trailed off into silence before shaking herself. She turned to face him and saw Silva over his shoulder. 'Oh.'

'Hmm?' Ren looked over his shoulder and Silva was standing directly behind him.

'Excuse me.' Silva said coolly. 'Miss Krystal, you are late for your lesson.' Krystal sighed.

'Okay okay.' She said obediently before taking Ren's hand. 'You'll always be my friend right? You won't see me any differently in a few days will you?'

'What do you mean?' He asked.

'There is no time Miss Krystal. We must leave or Goldva will become impatient.' Silva insisted.

'Okay, we're going, we're going.' Krystal said hurriedly. 'Promise me you won't change.' She let go of him and began to walk off with Silva.

'I won't.' He muttered under his breath as she watched him go.

'Silva…' Krystal started.

'Yes?'

'Will I be any different at the end of my lessons?'

'You will be stronger and wiser, but you will be the same person on the inside.'

'Good.'

'He will not change either.' She ignored his last sentence. Even if he had guesses, she wasn't about to admit it to herself. There was a more important thing waiting for her with the Council, and an important role to play in every shaman's life, not just Ren's.

Mweeeee, yet another chappy done.

I must type faster, you deserve more of this. But there are other fun things that I'm being distracted with, like Stargate SG1 DVD's….

Gomen nasai!


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